Researchers have linked nearly fifty thousand cases of breast cancer per year and over forty thousand cases of colon cancer to a simple lack of activity. Just by getting away from our desks and TVs and getting off our butt we can do a large part towards avoiding cancer scientists say.

The news was presented today at The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) annual conference. The figures really highlight the important role that both activity and inactivity play in the development of specific cancers. While much noise is made by activists about chemicals in the food supply, air quality or genetic engineering, the plain truth is that people are far more sedentary today than they were a hundred years ago, and in some respects we just have ourselves to blame for our ailments.

Sitting down for long periods of time, even by those who take regular exercise can also increase cancer indicators.

AICR spokesperson Alice Bender, MS RD said :

“Taken together, this research suggests that every day, we’re each given numerous opportunities to be active and protect ourselves from cancer, not one … We need to start thinking in terms of make time and break time.”

On the basis of the findings the AICR is urging people to not only take more exercise but also get away from their desks for 1-2 minutes per hour. It could be as simple as walking upstairs to a colleagues office instead of taking the elevator, or just getting off the PC for five minutes to get a glass of water.

Bender advises :

“Making time to get at least half an hour of moderate to vigorous activity every day is great, and more Americans need to do it, but those 30 minutes represent only a sliver of our day … This new research on break time suggests there are small things we can do in the other 15 hours and 30 minutes we spend awake that also make a big difference.”

Importantly the research is more than just a patronizing opinion, it’s backed with hard science. Senior Research Epidemiologist Christine Friedenreich, PhD, of Alberta Health Services-Cancer Care in Canada, presented just-published findings from the Alberta Physical Activity and Breast Cancer Prevention (ALPHA) Trial. The latest results from this trial involve C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation, which is linked to cancer risk. In a study appearing in the October issue of the journal Cancer Prevention Research, moderate to vigorous daily activity reduced C-reactive protein levels among post-menopausal women.

Dr. Friedenreich’s research shows that even sedentary post-menopausal women who start to do a moderate to vigorous exercise program can reduce biomarkers that are tagged as a cancer risk.

Researchers have not yet identified how inflammation increases cancer risk, it is known though that the inflammation process produces cytokines (immune-response chemicals that encourage cell proliferation and suppress cell death) that contribute to increased cancer risk. By extrapolating data from the ALPHA trial as well as previous epidemiological investigations involving adiposity, insulin resistance, mammographic density, sex hormone levels and other indicators of cancer risk, Dr. Friedenreich showed that engaging in moderate activity, like brisk walking, can significantly reduce the risk of certain cancers. He says :

“In breast and colon cancers, for example, we’re seeing overall risk reductions of about 25 to 30 percent associated with higher levels of physical activity. With prostate cancer the evidence isn’t as strong but it’s still there – about 10 to 20 percent lower risk. For endometrial cancer, we are finding about 30 to 35 percent risk reduction with more physical activity.”

Another scientist this time in Australia Neville Owen, PhD, PhD, Head of Behavioral Epidemiology at Australia’s Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, also believes that sitting for long periods of time is associated with health risks, even for people who are regularly physically active.

“Sitting time is emerging as a strong candidate for being a cancer risk factor in its own right. It seems highly likely that the longer you sit, the higher your risk. This phenomenon isn’t dependent on body weight or how much exercise people do.”

Basic advice includes tricks such as :

Standing up and walking about when on the phone, something that many people seem to do subconsciously to the point of annoying everyone else. Now it’s apparently good for your health.

Use light hand weights while at your desk.

Take short breaks to walk up and down the hall way.

Using the office cubicle walls for stretches might sound like a good idea, just make sure they are strong enough.

Basically anything and everything that gets you up off your butt for a few minutes per hour restores healthy circulation and reduces the risks of a build up of inflammation and other cancer markers.

It was revealed recently that Rupert Murdoch’s son James, works at a special standing desk he had made, because he finds sitting down to work unproductive. This kind of office setup could become quite fashionable suddenly, and the question is whether long feature films in the cinema will have to come with cancer warnings like cigarettes or if there will be Government mandated breaks in movies every 50-60 minutes ?

Written by Rupert Shepherd.